Rolling is a metal forming process in which stock sheets or strips are passed through at least one pair of rolls. Some rolling mills include backup rolls that provide rigid support to the work rolls and therefore allow the diameter of the work rolls to be reduced. Each roll includes one or more bearings to reduce friction as the roll rotates. The bearings can be housed in a bearing retainer or chock. In some cases, a jack or other drive mechanism is used to compress the bearing retainer onto the roll as the roll is assembled or serviced. To keep the jack in compression with the bearing retainer, a split ring is sometimes positioned between the jack and the end of the roll. The split ring acts as a back stop and maintains compression between the jack and the bearing retainer as the bearing retainer is assembled onto the roll.
However, it is typically difficult and very labor intensive to collapse the jack and remove the split ring from the assembly once the jack has been extended. In some instances, crowbars are manually wedged between the jack and the split ring to release the pressure between the jack and the split ring and force the jack to collapse and allow for removal of the split ring. In one particular example, two crowbars are wedged between the split ring and the jack and two workers manually apply force to the crowbars to collapse the jack. Due to the forces involved, along with slick flooring in a typical rolling mill, additional operators are needed to stabilize those operating the crowbars to reduce the risk of slipping and injury. Overall, the process is dangerous, time consuming, labor intensive, and inefficient.